Not Your Mother’s Baby Names
Posted April 15th, 2010

There’s an entire generation of new baby names that are moving rapidly up the popularity list and that distinguish themselves by being recently minted–and by the fact that grandparents do a double take the first time they hear them. For even if they existed as surnames or place names or occupations, they’ve rarely been used before as first names. Many of these new baby names are morphed versions of names that were used in another form earlier, while others have been spun from thin air.
Some are clearly celebrity-sourced—as when Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale gave their son a name inspired by their own personal associations with the island of Jamaica—and it wasn’t long before the name Kingston jumped onto the list. Similarly, the singular name Miley has spread like wildfire with the fame of its onetime exclusive bearer.
Putting aside the legion of offshoots and variations—in rhyming and spelling—of names related to Riley, Ryan, Bailey, Aiden, Tyler and Tyson, which already seem so 20th century– we’ve come up with a list of some of the most prominent nouveau names. Although a precise demarcation can’t be drawn, and some of them were coming onto the radar in the 90s, these are the new baby names that definitely have a 21st century feel.
Girls (mostly)
ADDISON
AINSLEY
ARIA
ASHBY
AUDRINA
CADENCE
CALI
ELLE
HADLEY
HARLOW
HAVEN
KHLOE
LUNA
MARLEY
MILEY
MYA
PAISLEY
REESE
RHIANNA and RIHANNA
SAGE
SIENNA
SKYLA
TAYLA
TEAGAN
ZOEY
Some other girls’ names that haven’t made it onto the list yet, but are very much headed that way :
ASHBY
AVALON
JUNO
ESMÉ
SCOUT
TALLULAH
VITA
Boys (mostly)
ACE
ATTICUS
AXEL
BECKETT
CAMDEN
CANNON
CASE
CASH
CHACE
COHEN
DASHIELL
DAX
DEACON
FISHER
JAGGER
JAX
JETT
KIAN and KYAN
KINGSTON
KYLAN
LENNON
MADDOX
MAVERICK
MAXIMUS
NASH
ORION
PAX
RIVER
ROMEO
RYDER
RYKER
STONE
TREVON
TRACE
TURNER
ZANDER and XANDER
Some other boys’ name candidates for the list:
BODHI
EVERLY
FLINT
JETSON
PAX
ROCKET
STEEL
WILDER
Either
AVERY
BLAZE
EASTON
EMERSON
EMERY
HARLEY
HARPER
HAYDEN (newer for girls)
JOURNEY
JUSTICE
KAI
PAYTON/PEYTON
ROWAN
SAGE
SAWYER
SHILOH
SKYLAR
TAJ
TRACE
ZION
And some other unisex names in the air:
AUDEN
BRIGHTON
CHARLESTON
DREAM
INDIGO
REEVE
ROMY
STORY
TRUE
WEST
What do you consider the quintessential 21st century name?
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25 Responses to “Not Your Mother’s Baby Names”
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You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.lyndsayjenness Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 3:14 am
Wow, some of these I love and some I really don’t like. And my son’s name is on the list! You did a great job representing 21st century names!
peach Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:43 am
Finally a category of names where I struggle to find any winners. The only name in the girls’ side that surprised me was Tallulah. The only boys’ names I have a fondness for are Atticus, Dashiell, Harper. I would add Kaylee, Kylie and such to the girls side. What about Scarlet and Ruby?
JustADad Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Peach: I think Kaylee/Kylie are already very popular in my neck of the woods, not sure those could be called “new”, at least where I live.
There are some names I like on this list, but I think they might feel dated very soon–names that are of the moment. But that could just be me.
Stella Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Frickin’ frack. Avalon needs to stay on the under appreciated side, as it is the decided name of our first born who will be conceived in the next 1-2 years.
I think in backlash to the Kaylee, Bailey, Jayla we will go the other way to folksy, “authentic” names like Eudora and Alma, Reba and Maisie.
I think we are missing some religious zealot and conservative names: Serendipity, Epiphany, Seraphina, Prudence, Loyal, Fiscal Responsibility… joke, joke. Deacon fits into this “trend” I just made up.
PDXLibrarian Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Peach,
Both of my great-grandmothers were named Ruby so I don’t think it fits this category of “new” names.
www.legitbabenames.wordpress.com Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I have seen so many Mileys in the last few years that it is ridiculous. I have also been noticing an interest in the name Seraphina by many other name enthusiasts and have already met two newborn Seraphinas. I have a feeling that she may possibly be the next Sophia. With her pleasant more common nickname option of Sarah, parents are seeing the advantages of this name.
Bella Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Love seeing my maiden name on the boys list, Nash.
Favourites I have recently added to my list (so I see what you mean by “nouveau”)
Paisley
Cohen
Jett
Charlotte Vera Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Oh my, I just came across a woman on my board who gave her son the legal name of Kiddo Archer-Clyde.
Charlotte Vera Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
Sorry to spam post, but on a brighter note another woman on the board named her sons Stacy Thomas and Kelly White (White is a middle).
babynamesrule Says:
April 15th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
I love a lot of these names. Particularly the up and comer Wilder. I have a soft spot for him.
Annabelle Says:
April 16th, 2010 at 6:33 am
Absolutely LOVE the name Brighton for a little girl. I lived in a little town called Brighton for a summer, and ever since I’ve wanted to use it for one of my kids. Now to sell the hubs…
Lindsey Says:
April 17th, 2010 at 12:04 am
I’ve had Wilder in mind since I was about 11 and in love with Almanzo Wilder.
melissaintlouis Says:
April 17th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Stella Says:
“I think in backlash to the Kaylee, Bailey, Jayla we will go the other way to folksy, “authentic” names like Eudora and Alma, Reba and Maisie. ”
More like this, please! New name list in the making?
melissaintlouis Says:
April 17th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
…maybe called “Appalachian Chic”
Just kidding. But seriously, names that evoke barefoot women, coal mining men, and dusty children — those are more “real” to me than a Jayla or Aydin.
Macy Says:
April 18th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Sad that all the “either” names are all boy names. Even some of the “girl” ones too.
Martina Says:
May 20th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Why don’t people realize that names that legitimately end in son (except for maybe Allison) actually mean son of, and therefore should NEVER be used for girls.
Ainsley (I went to school with a girl with this name in the 80′s so it isnt that new), Sienna, Juno and Tallulah are my favourite girls names. FYI Miley isn’t Miley Cyrus’s birth name, and the name has finnish roots, in its proper spelling Maili.
As for boys, it seems like they are being named after physical things. What’s next meet my sons Cupboard and Broomstick?
I wish the Americas were like some European countries, in that a you have to be able to denote a childs gender by their name.
alix Says:
June 5th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I nanny for three children, Atticus, Abbott and Beckett. My cousin is 4 and is named Bodhi, I know a two year old Maximus and a 19 year old Kai. Bodhi’s father named his cats (both male), Kai and Nesta, 8 years ago.
Ellabeth Says:
June 22nd, 2010 at 8:59 am
Boo! I’m ashamed to admit that some of my favourite names seem very much in the trendy 21st century camp – Saige, Sienna and Skyler for girls, Kyan and Xander for boys. Peyton, Rowen and Romy are also up there, although not top candidates. A lot of those I didn’t think were ‘new’ (Saige, Sienna, Xander and Romy are all acquaintences of mine over the age of 25), but perhaps they’re just in vogue now.
I would add Violet to the list of 21st century names… it seems super popular these days.
Sunshinetina Says:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:29 am
This is where names are headed? Then I think I need to brace myself. Good thing I’m sticking to older names. Don’t really think Matilda or Eloise are going to have too many others in their school with the same name. It’s just saddening to see Tallulah up there as I love it.
Mommy of Kaylee & Trace Says:
September 21st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I wanted to name Klee, Blaire..and I should have it fits her better. Her daddy didn’t want to cuz it reminded him of witch project. Trace on the other hand was the only name I had for my son. He was born 1/27/10. I think it’s an awsome name!
Leslie Owen Says:
May 5th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
I had a Chandelier and the kids used to tease her that her brother should have been named Windowsill….
I really don’t like the idea of naming a child “Cohen”. As a Jew, I find it offensive. Why not make it the Irish Cohan, since everything is about surnames?
As for all these weird names, yuck. Guess I was born in the wrong century….
from hi Says:
August 4th, 2011 at 3:58 am
i want all the new names for baby boy starting from hi( in hindi)
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Yup, that’s my April 2009 birthboard up there! Or at least, the names most of the mothers chose for their children. The topic of boys’ names came up today on the board. Some of the names thrown around were: Finn (SUPER popular, guess why?), Seger, and Taven. An off-topic discussion of girls’ names included a Kahlan (pronounced “KAE-lyn”).
Also, grandparents who read books to their children would not necessarily balk at Avery for a boy since Avery was the brother of Fern in Charlotte’s Web.